Class reunion trip. Part 1, going West.

I had to take a photo of this sign. Luckily, we did not see any snakes, just lots and lots of grasshoppers.


This is the back side of a really big and nasty storm that hit the central and eastern part of the state. Several tornadoes and lots of damage were reported.

This is the launch site. It is now run by the Park Service and is part of a tour.

This is the silo where the missile is housed. The missile seen here is real but not armed. The location of the silo was several miles from the launch facility.

Tobi posing for a photo.

If you look through the glassed area you can see the missile. Obviously the glass and railing are for the protection of the tourists.

Me and Mr. Buffalo hanging out in the Wall Drug Backyard.

Tobi always wanted to ride a Jackalope.

Tobi was looking for a geocache, I was looking around and taking this photo.




On Friday, my friend Tobi and I set out on a wonderful and fun-filled road trip across the great state of South Dakota to attend our high school's 20 year class reunion. The plan was to leave around 11 and end up in Rapid City sometime around supper. I also need to point out that Tobi does geocaching. What is geocaching? It is kind of like a big game of hide a seek using a GPS locator. Items or "caches" are hidden in various locations and the GPS coordinates are uploaded into a website. Persons wishing to find the caches download these coordinates into a hand held device and go looking for them. Many of our stops were in order to find these caches.

We had decided to do lunch in Mitchell, SD which is about an hour and a half down the road. Both of us were quite hungry when it came time to stop. We decided to try this interesting looking sports bar and grill. I make mention of this stop because unfortunately for me it was full of every thing deep fried and breaded so about 95% of the food was off my can eat list. Not really wanting a salad (I'm not a fan of large salads with meat on them) but faced with no other options I ordered a small side salad...we're talking a little lettuce and cheese here. I so wanted to eat what it was Tobi got since it was waffle fries with nacho cheese, ranch type sauce, bacon, and onions. I also ordered water since I had pop in the car. When the bill came I must have looked like a total cheapskate since my total was $2.12.

After eating we headed back onto the interstate. Tobi also has a GPS device for her car. She had the voice set to sound like a squirrel. At one point we turned the squirrel off. As we were heading out of town, Tobi commented that her GPS kept wanting her to turn around (the sound was still off). I suggested the possibility that maybe we were headed the wrong way. Sure enough, a check of the next interstate sign showed we were headed East, back toward Sioux Falls instead of West towards Rapid City. Well after the 14 mile detour (7 miles before we hit an off ramp to turn around) we were back on our way. We also turned the squirrel back on.

We did not start looking for any geocaches until after we had crossed the Missouri River. Tobi had not done any geocaching past that point so once we were West River, we started looking. Our intent was to only stop at rest areas or pull overs along the side of the road. The photo of the snake sign was taken at a rest area I call the "middle of nowhere stop" We were looking for a cache hidden somewhere and would have to cross a freshly mown field. We did not find either snakes or the cache. We are pretty sure it was located in the area with tall grass that could have snakes in it and neither of us had boots on. We did manage to get hit with lots of grasshoppers though. Actually, we had lots of grasshopper issues at our stops.

One of the stops we made involved an old missile launch facility. South Dakota had lots of them during the Cold War. They were truly hidden in plain sight as the signs claim. The one we visited was only a few hundred feet from the interstate. I have driven by those sites hundreds of times and never noticed them. The first part of the cache was the actual launch area which is the photo of the building. Part two was the actual silo site a few miles away. We met up with a family from Kentucky who were doing the tour of the missile sites. We decided to follow him on the interstate to the next location since he had a map and that was faster than downloading the coordinates into the GPS. I also took the storm photo at this location. I had been admiring the huge clouds for miles and decided that I should take pictures. The next morning (on the news)was when I discovered how nasty that storm was. One of the confirmed tornadoes was an F-4.

A few miles down the road we stopped at the actual missile silo. This on had the original missile but of course was disarmed. There was a glass covering over the top to keep people safe. I should also comment that it was really really windy out there. I'm sure some of it was due to the storm passing through but it is also really windy in the Central part of the state. Over all, this was pretty cool to visit.

Our other major stop was of course Wall, home of the world famous Wall Drug. Tobi had not been to Wall since she was a small child so she wanted to re-visit. We spent time walking around looking at all the people and different souvenirs in the stores. We also had to go the the back yard area and take some pictures. I decided that the buffalo looked pretty cute and Tobi really wanted to have her picture taken on the Jackalope. We also got our cup of free (not very good tasting) ice water. Tobi also wanted to see the dinosaur and of course there was a geocache hidden there so we spent several minutes there. She went looking for the cache and I took photos.

We finally made it to Rapid City and had a wonderful supper made by my dad. It was nice to see my parents since I haven't seen them in several months. Bryan had already left to go to Cheyenne,WY for a concert. Mom and Dad were due to leave the next morning to go to that same concert. After supper, we headed out to one of the local bars where the Class of 1990 (yes, I'm that old) was having a mixer. I didn't take the camera with so no photos. Actually, the music was really too loud to converse inside so we headed out to the patio and met up with my friends Jen and Jackie and their husbands were we spent the evening. At one point I was wondering why they kept playing Beetles songs. It wasn't until we were leaving that I noticed the sign saying the band Abbey Road was playing that night. Oh, that's why I kept hearing Beetles music.

We ended our night at Perkins. Just like old times, a bunch of us crammed in a booth eating and talking about anything and everything.

Czech it out part 2

Wow, what a fun day we had. I hope you all enjoyed the photos I posted. Now here is as the late Paul Harvey would say "the rest of the story".

We went down this morning to Tabor, about a 1 1/2 or so hour south of us. Every year the town celebrates it's Czechoslovakian heritage with a wonderful 3 day festival. Some of the events include a large parade, a smaller kiddie parade, lots of dancing, demonstrations on how to make kolaches, the talent contest for the Czech Queen candidates, a kids tractor pull, a midway carnival, and of course the Polka Mass. Yes, they really do have a Catholic Mass complete with polka music. Sadly, I have not been able to make this particular service but I have been told is is quite beautiful.

First up on our list of things was the kiddie parade. The larger more "official" celebration parade is held on Friday but it is too difficult for us to make that parade, plus Carolyn is not too fond of the loud noises. Saturday is the day for the kiddie parade. This is a bit smaller both in size and entries. There are different judged categories including, decorated bikes, dolls, pets, and miscellaneous. Each entry must have something to do with being Czech whether it is a costume or a saying. This is so much fun to watch. This years pet entries included Guinea pigs, rabbits, and a couple of dogs dressed in really cute outfits. In addition to the kids, the winning float from the Friday parade is also invited to this parade. Part of the fun is watching this parade with my mother in law. She is from Tabor so she knows everyone and gives a great running commentary on who is who. This year we also watched with two of the loving husband's aunts and his grandmother.

After the parade ended, the loving husband took Andrew and headed over to the park. I took the other two kids and we went over to Grandma Helen's house for bathroom breaks and I wanted to get my phone and money for later events. Of course in true Cindy style, on the way out of the house I missed the bottom step and did a knees first dive in front of everyone. The only thing hurt was my pride. We met back up at the park a little later and watched the awards ceremony for the kiddie parade and the coronation of the Czech Prince and Princess. They also had clowns making balloon animals so the kids stood in line to get one.

By then it was time for lunch so we headed inside the hall to get some wonderful yummy food. The loving husband opted for the meal which included pork and beef, mashed potatoes and gravy, dumplings, sauerkraut, and a kolache. I stood in the other line and got hot dogs, homemade chicken noodle soup, and more beef. Did I mention the food was yummy?

After eating, it was time to buy the kolaches. Every year they (lots of volunteers) make a few hundred dozen kolaches both to sell with the meals and to package and sell separately. There are various kinds including poppy seed, prune, apricot, cherry, cream cheese (my favorite), and a few more unconventional like pineapple, strawberry, or rhubarb. This is where it is really handy to know someone who lives in town. After buying the kolaches, I was able to take them back to Grandma Helen's house to wait in air conditioning as opposed to the sweltering heat of my van.

After lunch was the tractor pull. This is for ages 4-13. It consists of a pedal tractor hooked up to a weighted sled. The objective is to pedal the tractor as far as you can until the weight on the sled moves to the top and stops you. The key is to pedal fast and don't look back. Winners in each category qualify for the state championship later this summer. Last year both Matthew and Carolyn competed and had fun so this year they were looking forward to doing it again.

The official age to do this is 4 but they have an unofficial 3 and under category to start things off. Andrew was really really wanting to ride the tractors so he was pretty excited when he got to get on it and ride up the street. I'm pretty sure the announcer walking next to them was the reason all the little ones pedaled till the weight stopped at the top of the sled. Everyone was all smiles.

One of the biggest surprises this year was how incredibly competitive this event was. If the weight makes it to the top of the sled then it is called a full pull. There were a lot of full pulls this day.

The age categories go up by single year and gender. This is of course supposed to make it fair but poor Carolyn turned 6 last week so she was the youngest of the competitors in her division. Had she been with the 2 5 year olds she might have done better but there were at least 5 other girls she had to compete against and I'm pretty sure she was the lightest. She also made the mistake of looking back when she was pedaling so she lost speed and didn't get as far as the other girls. Several girls had full pulls so this division went extra rounds.

For some reason the organizers decided to take a break between the 6 year olds and the 7 and ups. One of the things they do for fun is have the Czech Queen candidates compete in the pull. This is just for fun and doesn't count except as a crowd pleaser. They also decided to have a "powder puff" 13 and older (emphasis on older) division, also just for fun. After the queen candidates went, the announcer went looking for "contestants" amongst the crowd. There were a few that had either signed up or were volunteered. I was enjoying watching these women trying to do this. One reluctant soul gave her name as "I don't have the proper shoes" as she was using that as an excuse to get out of being a contestant. For the record, she had flip flops on, as did the majority of contestants.

As I was enjoying this completion, I heard the name Cindy called. I really didn't think too much of it until Matthew came up to me and told me it was my turn to go. I looked at him and asked him what he meant. He told me that Daddy told him to go over and give the announcer my name. Gee, thanks darling. As I was getting on the tractor, I mentioned that the loving husband wasn't getting a Father's Day gift. The crowd laughed. I pedaled my fastest. It was harder than it looked. The wheels are kinda tiny and you don't feel like you are moving very fast and then it starts getting harder and harder to pedal. I maxed out at just over 21 feet. Not too bad I guess.

After the 7 year old girls went it was Matthew's turn. There were several other 7 year old boys in this division. When it came time for Matthew to go I went out in front of him as his encourager. Poor Andrew had fallen asleep so he was sitting on the loving husband in the shade. I reminded Matthew to pedal as fast as he could and not to look back. He took my advice and went like crazy. I watched the weight inch up and up until it stopped at the top of the sled. Matthew got a full pull and he was excited. He jumped off the tractor and gave me a big high-five and was jumping up and down with excitement. Two other boys also had a full pull so there was a 3 way tie and they had to go another round. Matthew was up first but this time didn't get as good a start so he only went about 18 or so feet. He was really disappointed. He was even more disappointed when the other two boys got longer distances than him. He came in third.

After we got done with the tractor pull, I took Matthew and Carolyn and headed over to the craft fair. Tabor is not a very big town so it was only a three or four block walk. Matthew wasn't overly happy with looking at breakable items such as the Czech china and crystal but Carolyn seemed to enjoy it. One of the loving husband's aunts had a lovely bag and I had commented on it earlier and she told me that they were selling them at the craft fair for only $6. His other aunt also had one too and really liked hers. I found the booth and decided that the price was right. It was a tough decision but I finally decided to go with the black with pink polka dots.

As we were leaving the craft fair, a very nice lady stopped us and told us that about a block off the main path was a group that was giving free horse rides. "Horse" was all it took to get Carolyn excited. We walked over and found the house. It turns out that the owner of the horses has a Cowboy camp nearby and was offering the freewill donation rides as a way to get her camp name out there. She was a very nice person to talk to. By this time Andrew had woken up so he and the loving husband joined us for a horse ride.

After finishing up with the horses, we headed back to ride the midway rides. Each child got to pick 2 rides to ride on and we bought the number of tickets needed. Tickets were $1 apiece and most rides charged 3 tickets. Unfortunately, one of the rides Matthew wanted to go on was broken so he got to ride the same ride twice. He also got to play ski ball. He did pretty good and got scores on two of his games high enough to win a small prize.

After finishing up with the rides, we headed back over to Grandma Helen's house to collect our stuff. We said our good-bye's to my mother in law and the aunts and Grandma. After more conversation ( It's so hard to say good bye) we finally left and headed for home.

It was a fun fun day and the kids were dirty dirty dirty. I can't wait until next year.

Czech it out

Various entries in the kiddie parade.

The Royal Court

Of course there has to be a polka band.

Andrew's tractor pull

Carolyn trying really really hard to move it along.

Matthew has all the right moves

Every stitch on this costume (including the roses) is hand embroidered. The lace is also hand made.

Cowgirl Carolyn

Cowboy Matthew

A very happy Andrew.

Only $6 at the craft fair. ( I couldn't resist)

Mmmmmmm.....Kolaches

All photos were taken today at the annual Czech Days celebration in Tabor, SD. Stay tuned for the follow up post telling you the rest of the story.

Happy Birthday Carolyn

Hanging with Mom and Andrew at the Butterfly House. Loved it!!



OK, bring on the snow.







Yes, this is my happy smile. Mom made us cake!!!

Oh, so this is what cute looks like.

Today is Carolyn's 6th birthday. It's hard to believe that 6 years have passed since I first looked upon that beautiful face. She is my little artist and has her own unique sense of fashion. I love getting her pictures and paintings and her creative cut-out and glued I'm not sure what this is supposed to be's. For now, pink and purple are the best colors to have in a wardrobe and if it doesn't have some sort of pattern, it's not worth wearing. I really didn't know that you could in fact wear a skirt under a dress or a dress over a shirt and pants. Socks don't necessarily have to match, or be the same length. Every day is a new adventure.

Happy Birthday my little princess.

Chicken enchilada cassarole

Yes, it's time for yet another yummy recipe. You might have noticed that I like Mexican food since my last recipe involved refried beans and salsa. You'll be happy to know that today's recipe has neither one in it. I actually created this from two different recipes. The first recipe was a brown rice Mexican casserole that I got off the Weight Watchers web site and the second recipe was an enchilada casserole that I got off the back of a package of corn tortillas. Both casserole recipes are OK, but neither one was particularly stellar so I took what I liked from one and added it to what I liked to the other and came up with a really yummy and easy to make supper. It is also a great way to use leftover chicken.

Chicken Enchilada Casserole

2 cooked chicken breasts
1 cup instant brown rice
1 can enchilada sauce (large size)
1 package tortillas
1 package shredded cheddar or Mexican blend cheese
1 can of black olives (optional)
1 can of green chilies (optional)
cilantro (optional)

• In a microwave safe container, make up the brown rice. Remember 1 cup uncooked rice equals 2 cups cooked. Set aside.
• While rice is cooking, shred the chicken and tear up at least 4-6 tortillas.
• Spray the bottom and sides of an 8x8 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
• Cover the bottom of the baking dish with the pieces of tortillas, it's OK to have gaps.
• Pour a small amount of enchilada sauce over the tortillas. Spread with a spoon.
• In a separate bowl combine the chicken and rice. If using green chili's or cilantro, add them too. Pour the majority of enchilada sauce in and mix thoroughly. You should have a little sauce left.
• Spread half the chicken and rice mixture over the tortillas.
• Cover with cheese.
• Take the remaining tortillas and place them on top of the cheese and pour the remaining sauce over them.
• Spread the remaining chicken and rice mixture over top.
• Cover with shredded cheese. You can also put the black olives on top.
• Bake covered at 350 for about 25-30 minutes.

If you really want to spice things up, try using hotter cheese. I'm not sure of the name but there is a brand of shredded cheese that has hot peppers in it. Poor Matthew had a really hard time eating this when I used this cheese. Needless to say, I use the milder cheese. You can also skip the tortillas or use ground beef instead of chicken. If you want a stronger enchilada taste, mix the chicken with the sauce and then add the rice.

Their stories

It is a brisk Autumn day somewhere on the West Coast. Three generations of family and dozens of friends have gathered to pay their final respects. A bugler plays "Taps" as the old solder is laid to rest. It's taken 60 years but now he's finally able to join the buddies he left behind on the beaches of Normandy.

It is a rainy winter day in the Southwest. A father reads the latest e-mail from his daughter. In his mind she will always be his little princess, forever 6 years old with pigtails and a pretty pink dress. However, daddy's little girl is all grown up and serving on a ship somewhere in the ocean. He looks up at all the photos on the wall, sighs, and says a prayer for her safety.

In a VA hospital somewhere in the Rocky Mountains, the old man looks at the young nursing assistant and tells her she reminds him of the girl he met while on a 3 day pass in Seoul. His eyes glaze over and and his mind wanders back to that day oh so long ago. As he starts to tell his tale, one of the nurses comes in and tells the confused young women not to be alarmed, he does this all the time.

It is a warm summer night in the Midwest and the campfire is crackling. It's the perfect end to the perfect weekend. The last 15 months of deployment have been hell. Through the weeks and months what kept him going was the promise he made to his boys that when he came home they'd load up the camper, pack the fishing gear, and head out in search of the one that got away. He looks over at the kids, sticky from making s'mores, squeezes his wife's hand, and smiles.

It's a beautiful Indian Summer day in Washington DC. A group of men gather at one section of the Vietnam Wall. They do this every few years. Now of course they are more likely to be carrying AARP cards than the draft cards they once had. They laugh and joke, and show off the latest photos of the grandkids. As they read the names, the memories and stories start to come back. For a few hours, they are together again.

Farther down The Wall stands a mother. Her hair has turned from soft brown to snow white. She comes here year after year, always to this same spot. She traces her son's name with her fingers and the tears fall down her cheeks. She wants only to bring him home so he can be closer to her but she can't. Three little letters next to his name tells her that her boy has yet to be found.

It is a muggy spring day in the South. The little boy hops out of the van clutching the bouquet of brightly colored balloons. He is so excited, he gets to eat ice cream later today and play with his cousins at Grandma's house. His little 3 year old legs start running. His mother calls to him and tells him to wait for her. She is carrying his little sister with one arm and a bouquet of flowers in the other. The little boy stops and waits. They slowly make their way across the decorated rows until they reach the spot they are looking for. The mother sets her daughter down on a blanket and then helps her older child put the balloons next to the headstone and arranges the flowers in the vase. She feels something tug at her leg and looks down to see the girl has crawled over to her. She sits down on the ground and pulls the girl onto her lap. Her son sits next to her. The little girl points to the headstone and says "da da?"
"Yes, replies her mother, "that's daddy"

In the truest sense, freedom can not be bestowed, it must be achieved.
-Franklin D. Roosevelt




* I hope you enjoyed my Memorial Day tribute to those who have served our country or are currently serving. The people and places written about in this post are a work of fiction.*

Old McDonald had a......

We all know the song. In fact I'll bet you are singing it right now. Yes, that wonderful song about a farmer and his very noisy animals is a classic that is taught and sung to millions of children all over the world. My own kids love it and I've sung it more times than I really care to admit.

It is because I am always singing this song I decided to have some fun with it and thus the alternate versions of Old McDonald were born. Just this morning Carolyn and Andrew were laughing at me while I was doing my best "American Idol" version of Old McDonald. Of course he was not on his farm. I haven't decided if Mr. McDonald is a very busy businessman who likes to acquire new real estate or if he has a lot of cousins he likes to visit. Anyway, I thought I'd share with you a few versions I and the kids have come up with. At the very least it will save you from always having to bark and moo.

Version #1 Classic setting of the farm...use animals like geese, mice, goats, and llamas. Really, what does a llama sound like?

Version #2 My personal favorite, the convenience store. Items I have used include gum (chew chew here), soda pop (burp burp there), potato chips (crunch crunch here), soap (slip slidey there), toilet paper or Kleenex (wipe wipe here)...you get the idea. The kids love coming up with things to try and then having to make up a sound or action to go with it.

Version #3 The zoo. I have to give Carolyn credit for coming up with this setting but it really works. This is also a great version for incorporating both sounds and actions. The monkeys jump around and make sounds, the gorillas beat their chests, the lions roar, and the elephants move their trunks.

Version #4 The ocean. This one can get pretty difficult but it does work. Whales go squirt, fish go swish, sharks go chomp, and mermaids sing la la la. I challenge you to make seal sounds and not laugh.

Version #5 Geographical settings. This is very similar to the zoo except you pick one area like jungle or swamp and only use those animals.

Ok, there you have it. New twists on an old favorite. The fun part about this is once you start with a verse, the kids will either laugh at you or follow along and try to make up the next line. By the end of the song everyone will be laughing and singing.

Now if you'll excuse me. I've got to go listen to the radio. I've got that Old McDonald song stuck in my head.